Other Images in this Gallery

The two front paws of a bobcat. Bobcats, like lions, tend to move slowly and stealthily, often pausing to look for prey, taking care not to betray their presence. (Photo: Courtesy Mark Elbroch)

This bobcat was captured by a motion-sensitive camera in Marin County. (Photo: Felidae Conservation Fund)

Tracks of an adult female lion, taken in Los Padres National Forest, California, next to Mark Elbroch’s footprint. The front paw is below, the hind paw, above. (Photo: Courtesy Mark Elbroch)

Lions leave deep impressions in dirt made with their hind feet to mark their territory or signal their presence to females and other males. Multiple lions may use the scrape site like a community bulletin board. Juan Carlos Bravo sits next to a scrape in Patagonia. (Photo: Courtesy Mark Elbroch)